Traveling cleaner with air intake shutter



Jan. 5, 1965 c. F. LAMB 3,163,879

TRAVELING CLEANER WITH AIR INTAKE SHUTTER Filed April 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 86 lo I 83 7 5 a? s3 s2 26 a0 33 E :32 g 84 3s 7s I 34 3| l x 78 66 M H 74 74 l 52 90 l 1o 1 FIG. 5 I

20 T J l r F J J F I i F b F I L T J f n Hoff JQ\4OIL J V J J cl F INVENTOR- CHARLES F. LAMB ATTDRNEY Jan. 5, 1965 V c. F. LAMB TRAVELING cmmsa WITH AIR INTAKE SHUTTER Filed April 4, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTQRNEY United States Patent 3,163,879 CLEANER WET-H. Am HJTAKE SHUTTER. haricsE Lamb, Cleveland, Nil assignor to Grinneii Corporation, ?rovidence, REL,- a corporation of Delaware Filed Apr. 4, 1963, Ser. No. 270,650

4Claims. (Cl. -312) This invention relates to. overhead moving traveling cleaners moving air streams to remove lint and fly from machinery surfaces in textile mills.

In recent years the use of moving overhead cleaners in a textile mill-has become a widely accepted method of cleaning the equipment in the mills. One example of such a cleaner is-a' loom cleaner in a prior method patent, US; Patent No. 2,981,644. Inthis prior patent the necessity for a high velocity cleaning air stream is fully described.- Experience gained since theintroduction of this method of cleaning has shown that for most installations the results obtained-are highly acceptable. How ever, specific instances have occurred and-Will continue to occur where a cleaner isoperating and passing over a particular textile machine which may be shut down for either repairs or adjustments or loading new supplies, and where the impingement of a high velocity stream of air on this'stopped machine would cause damage in the form of-entanglements, or broken threads. Such instances are particularly likely tooccur in the cleaning of roving frames where the slivers being processed are very weak and il ulfy andtherefore highly susceptible to being broken by a strong blast of air while the machine is stopped.

To prevent suchan occurrence, it is an object of this invention to provide a traveling cleaner apparatus capable of automatically cutting off and turning on the air issuing from the cleaner over selected portions of the path of travel of the cleaner.

Where roving frames are involved it has been the pre dominent practice to utilize the cleaning machines for the front only since the rear of'the roving frame consists primarily of storage cans for feeding the slivers into the machine. Thus, when the cleaning apparatus had to clean two rows of frames it would pass down the front of one row, .turn around, then come downthe. front of the adjoining row, even though both rows faced on the same aisle.

It is another object-of this invention to provide a traveling textile machine cleaner which may be utilized for travel down an aisle between tworows of machines to clean the rows on both sides of the aisle simultaneously rather than s ngly as has heretofore been practiced. In a preferred embodiment this is accomplished by utilizing nozzlesdepending from a fan casing on each side of a common blower motor so as to point at an angle from the vertical toward the row machines on its side of the aisle and utilize arapidly rotating nozzle to initiate a moving air stream which impinges over the covered portion of the roving frame to be cleaned as a series of sharp rapid puffs.

In this preferred embodiment the traveling cleaner of the present invention comprises a blower motor having two vertical volute casings suspended symmetricallyone on each side from a track upon which the cleaner travels. Each casing contains a rotating blower blade which is turned by the common motor. Each casing has at least one depending air outlet with a rotatable nozzl'e thereon pointed at anangle to the vertical towards the row of machines on its side of the aisle. The casing also has a scissors-like movable closure member fitted to slide over the intake opening of each casing and thereby shut it. Above the track and adjacent thereto at desired points are spaced control elements rendered active and inac- 3,163,879 Patented Jan. 5, 1965 p Ce tive by the machine over which these control elements are mounted. If necessary, it is contemplated that this control element may be manually operated. However, in its most useful form it isautomatically actuated by the frame over which it is mounted.

Having generally describedithe objectives and features of my novel construction, .a fuller and more detailed eX- planation of one embodiment from which various other objects and advantages will appear, ispre'sen'ted in the following specification-and the accompanying drawings iii-which:

FIGURE 1 is aschem'atic plan View showing several rows ofspaced textile machines over which an endless track is located with the improved cleaner mounted thereon;

FIGURE- 2 is an enlarged side elevation of the travelingcleaner in association with the straight portion of the track; 7

FIGURE 2A is a phantom view of the closure membersof FIG. 2 ina closed'position;

FIGURE 3 is a section ofthe track taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

'FIGURE4 is a section ofthe track takenalong line 4'4 :of 2

FIGURE 5 is an end elevation of the' traveling cleaner with the track shown in cross-section. 1

Referring more specifically to the drawings, a general layout of how the apparatus may be used is-diagrammati cally shown in FIG. 1. In this case four rows ofma chines a, b, c and d are illustrated with the track upon which the cleaner is mounted making a generally oval shaped circuitalong the-outer two aisles of the arrangement. Naturally this arrangement'may vary'depending onth'e textile mill-and type of machine being cleaned.

InFI-G; 2 it willbe seen that the track 10 comprises a beam conductor elements 11 1 2 and 13' fastened to its -side.- The traveling cleanercomprises a carriage 20 to which an. electric motor ZZis fastened, deriving its energy through the contacts 14; I5 and 16; (See FIG. 5.) A drive-wheelie is daiven'by the motor 22. through a belt-'26. Wheel-28. acts to-support the rear portion-of the carriage.v Underneath'the carriage is a blower motor. Edealsoenergized from 11, -12 and 13; which has a shaft 31 and extending from each end of the motor. Mounted at each shaft end is an impeller wheel 33- and 341 These are contained within casings35 and 36-which are oriented perpendicular to the fan motor shaft.

Each fan. casing has an inletopening (which corresponds to-opening 63 in plate 62) and an outlet duct 37 and 38. Each outlet has a depending transition tube 39 and- 40 which terminatesin a-rotatable nozzle 41 and 42. Each nozzle contains an adjustable-propeller such as 43 which has a hub 45 by which the nozzle is fastened to the transition tube; This propeller causes the nozzie to rotate. While the transition pieceiis shown to be made of a flexible tube in some instancesit may be made whol ly. of metal; The transition pieces 39and 4tiare curved so as to orient the nozzle hubs 45 at their ends in avertical plane substantially perpendicular to the supporting rail and at an angle X to; the verticaL. By this means the air issuing from the nozzle can be caused'to impinge over the entire-front portion of the roving frames in the row on that side ofthe cleaner.

Occasionally the roving;v frames may have certain portions particularly difiicult to clean with a single nozzle".

Insuch a case it hasbeen found advantageous to bring anjadditional nozzle out of each fan casing by means of an extension fil. and 52. These extensions haV6n-3. tube 53 and 54' joinedthereto and a nozzle 55 and'56 joined to the end of the tube in the same manner as nozzles 41 and 42 are joined to tubes 39 and 40.

The nozzles 41, 42, 55 and 56 rotate at a high speed side of the cleaner.

and as a result of this rotation and the forward movement of the cleaner, send forth air streams in a pattern similar to that described in the prior Patent No. 2,981,644. As a result, the portion ofthe roving frames being cleaned receive a cleaning coverage which is complete. A further advantage to this type of air stream action is that the cleaning by the air streams at any one .point is in the form of a series of sharp rapid puffs of air which is particularly advantageous where weak yarns are being acted upon.

Despite the superior action of the air stream and nozzles, when a roving frame is shut down the slivers and roving which hang limp are often thrashed about by the air stream sufficiently to cause them to break. On an operating roving frame this is no problem because the slivers and roving are always under tension which seems to increase their strength nad prevent any breakage by the air stream.

To prevent breakage 011 a stopped roving frame, it has been found that the preferred approach is to cut off the cleaning air stream either completely or to such an extent that the force of the stream is insufiicient to cause breakage. This is carried out by the scissors-like shutter generally shown mounted over the. intake of the casing. In this instance the shutter on one side will be described although a similar shutter will be mounted on the other,

To show their similarity the corresponding parts of the shutters on each side of the cleaner have been given the same reference numbers. The intake shutter consists of a flat plate 62 fastened to the side of the casing, normally by means of screws. An opening 63 which corresponds to the intake opening in the casing is formed through the plate. Over the opening are two pivoted plates 64 and 66 each ofwhich is roughly a half moon shaped flat plate. The plate 64 is pivoted about a member 68 at its elongated end' and the member 66 is pivoted about a member 70 at a lowerelongated end. Close to the. outer edge of. each shutter plate at the approximate mid-point of each plate are pivots 72 and 74 to which rods 76 and 78 are connected. The rods are connected at their other end by means of pivots 80 and 82 to a slidable bar 83 held in position by a channel member 84 having a generally U-shaped cross-section,

which is fastened to the shutter plate 62. Joined to the top of the member 83 is an elongated diamond-shaped cam plate 86 having surfaces 87, 88 and 89 and 90 which are inclined to provide a camming action when the member S6-impinges'upon an out-thrustpin such as pin 110.

A pin lltlis part of the actuating mechanism for causing the normally open plate 64 and 66 to shut. The mechanism consists of a narrow support plate lll'with a central bracket 112 fastened to the rail by meansof bolts. Mounted on the support plate is a magnetic relay 114 through which an arm 116 is passed. 'This arm 116 is joined at right angles to a vertical arm 117 to which the pin is fastened by means of nuts 118 and 119. At the rear of that arm 116 is a bracket 120 to which is fastened an actuating finger 121 which passes into the magnetic relay 114. A spring 122 isfastened between the bracket 120 and a fixed abutment 123. Electric current is carried by conductor 124 from a switch on the roving frame, over which this particular actuating mechanism is mounted, to

the wires 125 and 126 to feed the magnetic relays 114 and 115. The relay 115 controls a similar arm and pin arrangement on the other side of the track.

It should be noted that the plates 64 and 66 have two springs 92 and 93 at the bottompivot points 68 and 79.

Comparing the arrangement of FIGURE 2 with FIG- URE 2A, these springs are sooriented as to provide an overcenter effect on the plate 64 and 66 to aid in their opening and closing operation and to carry the cam plate through its complete action past pins and 110 when the plate impinges on these pins. This is accomplished by placing spring 92 over the pivots 68 and 70 so that the moment arm'between the pivot 68 and 70 and the spring decreases when'the hinges are being opened, while the 4 moment arm of spring 93 to these pivots is being increased. This decreases the force of spring 92 on the two plates 64 and 66 even though the spring is stretched while increasing the influence of spring 93 which is always in tension thus aiding the opening movement. On

the other hand, when the shutters are closnig, the spring influence the cam member past the actuating pins.

The operation of the machine is as follows:

and 66 are opened so that air may be drawn into the intake 63 and blown out through the depending nozzles 41 and 55 as shown in FIGURES 2 and 5. The description is with reference to one side of the entire cleaning device and is applicable to the other side as well. The air as it is discharged through the. nozzles 55 and 41 impinges on the propellers in the nozzles causing them to rotate and thus dispense the air in such a manner as to cover substantially the entire front of the machine. Should one machine be stopped, it will transmit a signal by means Well known in the art through cable 124 which in turn will transmit a proper signal to relay 114. Actuation of a magnetic coil in 114 will pull arms 116 and 117 outwardly thereby carrying the pin 110 into the path of the cam member 86. The pin is so located that thebottom inclined surface 90 of the cam member will impinge on the pin thereby forcing the actuating member 86 and with it slidable bar 83 upwardly, pulling rods 76 and 78 upwardly and thereby closing the shutters 64 and 66 with the help of spring 92. Since the intake is now closed the air no longer can be drawn in to issue from the nozzles 41 and 45. Once the particular roving machine has been passed it then becomes necessary to restore the cleaner to proper operation. This is done by having a fixed pin 14% inthe path of the up-raised actuating member 86. As the cleaner moves alongits path of travel, the upper inclined surface 87 will impinge on the fixed pin 14% which is fastened to a narrow strip 142 .and supported on a bracket 144 joined to the rail 10. impingement of the upper inclined surface 87 on pin 140 forces the cam member downwardly with bar 83, and, aided by thespring 93, the rods 76 and 78, in their downward movement, push the shutters 64 and 66 apart and into an open position.

Each roving frame may be equiped with an actuating pin 110 and a restoring pin 140 or the roving frames may be combined into groups so that any frame in the group will actuate a pin lliiat the beginning of each group. It is thus seen that a cleaner may be operated over a series of roving frames and rendered ineffective as desired over any particular frame according to the conditions which may be determined as governing.

It'will be understood that various changes in the details of the materials, steps and arrangements of parts which have been herein described and illustrated in order to explain the nature of the invention may be made by those skilled in the art within the principle and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a traveling cleaner having a carriage movable upon a track supported over an aisle between two rows of aligned machines, said cleaner comprising two centrifugal blowers including outer casings arranged in spaced parallel relation substantially parallel to the path of travel of said cleaner and having a common electric motor for driving a fan in each blower, each of said blowers having .an intake opening through its outercasing; the combination therewith comprising:

while making its circuit as indicated in FIGURE 1 down the aisles between the rows of roving frames, the shutters 64 (A) a fiat mounting plate joined to the outside of each blower and each having an intake hole therethrough superimposed over the intake opening of its corresponding blower,

(B) a pair of matched shutter plates pivotally fastened at their lower portions to each of said mounting plates for pivotal movement parallel to their respec tive mounting plates in a scissor-like action apart and together in a closed abutting relation over the opening of the respective mounting plate,

(1) each pair of said shutter plates having springs adjacent the fastenings and between the two plates of each pair to aid the opening and closing action of each pair of plates, v

(C) an elongated rod pivotally joined at One end to each of said shutter plates,

(1) the opposite ends of the two rods joined to each pair of shutter plates being pivotally joined to a cam plate,

(a) one said cam plate being slideably con nected to each mounting plate,

(D) electrically operated means operable at desiredintervals along the course of travel of said cleaner for urging one cam plate upwardly to close the shutter plates connected to said cam plate, independently of the other cam plate,

(1) said springs on said shutter plates operating to aid in the closing action once the cam movement has been initiated,

(E) fixed means at desired intervals along the course of travel of said cleaner for restoring the closed shutter plates to an open position by urging the cam plate connected thereto downwardly,

(1) said springs on said shutter plates operating to aid in the opening action once the cam movement has been initiated.

2. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein:

(A) the electrically operated means operable at desired intervals is a pin fastened to an arm which is movable into and out of the path of said cam plate by a magnetic relay actuated by an electric signal,

(B) the fixed means is a fixed pin rigidly connected to the track.

3. In a traveling cleaner having a carriage movable upon a track supported over an aisle between two rows of aligned operable machines, said cleaner comprising two centrifugal blowers including outer casings arranged in spaced parallel relation substantially parallel to the path of travel of said cleaner and having a common electric motor for driving a fan in each blower, each of said blowers having an intake opening through its outer casing; the combination therewith comprising:

(A) a flat mounting plate joined to the outside of each blower and each having an intake hole therethrough superimposed over the intake opening of its corresponding blower,

(B) a pair of matched shutter plates pivotally fastened at their lower portions to each of said mounting plates for pivotal movement parallel to their respective mounting plates in a scissor-like action apart and together in a closed abutting relation over the opening of the respective mounting plate,

(1) each pair of said shutter plates having springs adjacent the fastenings and between the two plates of each pair to aid the opening and closing action of each pair of plates,

(C) an elongated rod pivotally joined at one end to each of said shutter plates,

(1) the opposite ends of the two rods joined to each pair of shutter plates being pivotally joined to a cam plate,

(a) one said cam plate being slideably connected to each mounting plate,

(D) electrically operated means on both sides of said track individually operable in response to a machine stoppage at desired intervals along the course of travel of said cleaner for urging each cam plate on the side of said stoppage upwardly when necessary to close the shutter plates connected to said cam plate on the side of said stoppage,

(1) said springs on said shutter plates operating to aid in the closing action once the cam movement has been initiated,

(E) fixed means at desired intervals along the course of travel of said cleaner for restoring the closed shutter plates to an open position by urging the cam plate connected thereto downwardly,

(1) said springs on said shutter plates operating to aid in the opening action once the cam movement has been initiated. a

4. Apparatus as in claim 3 wherein:

(A) the electrically operated means is a pin fastened on an arm which is movable intov and out of the path of the cam plate on its side of the track by a magnetic relay actuated by an electric signal,

(B) the fixed means is a fixed pin rigidly connected to the track.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Smith Dec. 19, 1933 West Sept. 10, 1935 Holtzclaw Oct. 10, Allred Feb. 18, Pain Apr. 25,

FOREIGN PATENTS France Jan. 30, 1956 Lawrence Aug. 4, 1942 

1. IN A TRAVELING CLEANER HAVING A CARRIAGE MOVABLE UPON A TRACK SUPPORTED OVER AN AISLE BETWEEN TWO ROWS OF ALIGNED MACHINES, SAID CLEANER COMPRISING TWO CENTRIFUGAL BLOWERS INCLUDING OUTER CASINGS ARRANGED IN SPACED PARALLEL RELATION SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO THE PATH OF TRAVEL OF SAID CLEANER AND HAVING A COMMON ELECTRIC MOTOR FOR DDRIVING A FAN IN EACH BLOWER, EACH OF SAID BLOWERS HAVING AN INTAKE OPENING THROUGH ITS OUTER CASING; THE COMBINATION THEREWITH COMPRISING: (A) A FLAT MOUNTING PLATE JOINED TO THE OUTSIDE OF EACH BLOWER AND EACH HAVING AN INTAKE HOLE THERETHROUGH SUPERIMPOSED OVER THE INTAKE OPENING OF ITS CORRESPONDING BLOWER, (B) A PAIR OF MATCHED SHUTTER PLATES PIVOTALLY FASTENED AT THEIR LOWER PORTIONS TO EACH OF SAID MOUNTING PLATES FOR PIVOTAL MOVEMENT PARALLEL TO THEIR RESPECTIVE MOUNTING PLATES IN A SCISSOR-LIKE ACTION APART AND TOGETHER IN A CLOSED ABUTTING RELATION OVER THE OPENING OF THE RESPECTIVE MOUNTING PLATE, (1) EACH PAIR OF SAID SHUTTER PLATES HAVING SPRINGS ADJACENT THE FASTENINGS AND BETWEEN THE TWO PLATES OF EACH PAIR TO AID THE OPENING AND CLOSING ACTION OF EACH PAIR OF PLATES, (C) AN ELONGATED ROD PIVOTALLY JOINED AT ONE END TO EACH OF SAID SHUTTER PLATES, (1) THE OPPOSITE ENDS OF THE TWO RODS JOINED TO EACH PAIR OF SHUTTER PLATES BEING PIVOTALLY JOINED TO A CAM PLATE, (A) ONE SAID CAM PLATE BEING SLIDEABLY CONNECTED TO EACH MOUNTING PLATE, (D) ELECTRICALLY OPERATED MEANS OPERABLE AT DESIRED INTERVALS ALONG THE COURSE OF TRAVEL OF SAID DESIRED FOR URGING ONE CAM PLATE UPWARDLY TO CLOSE THE SHUTTER PLATES CONNECTED TO SAID CAM PLATE, INDEPENDENTLY OF THE OTHER CAM PLATE, (1) SAID SPRINGS ON SAID SHUTTER PLATES OPERATING TO AID IN THE CLOSING ACTION ONCE THE CAM MOVEMENT HAS BEEN INITIATED, (E) FIXED MEAND AT DESIRED INTERVALS ALONG THE COURSE OF TRAVEL OF SAID CLEANER FOR RESTORING THE CLOSED SHUTTER PLATES TO AN OPEN POSITION BY URGING THE CAM PLATE CONNECTED THERETO DOWNWARDLY, (1) SAID SPRINGS ON SAID SHUTTER PLATES OPERATING TO AID IN THE OPENING ACTION ONCE THE CAM MOVEMENT HAS BEEN INITIATED. 